Broadband - A Legal Right

Malc · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2009 0:44

Quote:

Finland has become the first country in the world to declare broadband Internet access a legal right.

Starting in July, telecommunication companies in the northern European nation will be required to provide all 5.2 million citizens with Internet connection that runs at speeds of at least 1 megabit per second.

The one-megabit mandate, however, is simply an intermediary step, said Laura Vilkkonen, the legislative counselor for the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The country is aiming for speeds that are 100 times faster -- 100 megabit per second -- for all by 2015.

Let's hope other countries follow suit huh?

Malc

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

See, I'm not sure I agree. Operators will baulk at the cost of having to provide decent comms to remote locations - and in the case of countries with multiple operators, how do you decide who has to fork out to connect up which location? It'll have to be subsidised, like they're planning in this country, and then you know that the operators will just inflate the costs to get maximum cash out of it.

Guess what? If you decide to live in Buttfuck, Mongolia, you gotta use dial-up. Them's the breaks.

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

s/broadband/POTS/ and s/dialup/telegraph/ though, and wind the clock back a few decades. I think it's a good thing that we forced the phone companies to wire anyone up, regardless of cost, to the POTS network. Of course - those were the days of state-run monopoly phone companies, whereas now we have privately owned companies still operating under public charters. Which is an uncomfortable relationship.

chinnyhill10 · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 15695

Craster wrote:

Guess what? If you decide to live in Buttfuck, Mongolia, you gotta use dial-up. Them's the breaks.

No fair IMO. In many areas it is a lack of infrustructure that causes this. There are villages not 25 miles from London without broadband still. Not to mention us poor saps stuck on the edge of 3 exchange areas who are on 1 meg. Yes I chose to live here but I'm hardly remote. There is tangible impact on the local economy if good quality broadband is available.

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

chinnyhill10 wrote:

Craster wrote:

Guess what? If you decide to live in Buttfuck, Mongolia, you gotta use dial-up. Them's the breaks.

No fair IMO. In many areas it is a lack of infrustructure that causes this. There are villages not 25 miles from London without broadband still. Not to mention us poor saps stuck on the edge of 3 exchange areas who are on 1 meg. Yes I chose to live here but I'm hardly remote. There is tangible impact on the local economy if good quality broadband is available.

You don't have to live in the country. There are villages not 25 miles from London that don't have gas. If the money they'll get from running the infrastructure out to you isn't worth what you'll pay for it, why should they? As the Doc says, if it was still a public utility, I'd be right behind it, but as it stands it's no different from forcing Asda to open up a shop somewhere because otherwise the locals have to drive 10 miles to go shopping.

Be Excellent To Each Other

Broadband - A Legal Right
in Finland!

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Be Excellent To Each Other

Broadband - A Legal Right in Finland!

Who is online

Broadband - A Legal Right
in Finland!